Stretchable sweatband for a cap

ABSTRACT

A sweatband used for headwear that is woven of 100% combustible synthetic yarn without any polyurethane. The sweatband provides excellent sweat absorbing capability and exhibits good elasticity through the structure of the textile without imposing undue pressure on the wearer so that the sweatband may be worn comfortably for a long period of time. The yarn used to produce the sweatband is passed through a bulky process, being shrunk through a low temperature short-term combustion method and dry heat treatment process after weaving. The sweatband preferably has a unitary, single ply construction that is planar and does not twist in the absence of elongating force.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is related to the field of headwear and, moreparticularly, to an improved stretchable sweatband woven as one unitbody and having a highly efficient sweat-absorbing capability.

2. Description of the Related Art

Caps of the baseball-style type generally include a crown main body, avisor portion that is secured to the forward edge of the crown andextends outwardly therefrom, a headband or sweatband attached to thelower part of the inside of the crown, and a size controller attached toan underside of the rear of the cap. Alternatively, cap sweatbands havebeen constructed that include an elastic band made of fabric whichincludes spandex yarn, giving the sweatband size flexibility whileeliminating the size controller.

It has been found, however, that caps relying on spandex sweatbands forsizing exert pressure against the wearer's head which can becomeuncomfortable after the cap is worn for an extended period of time.

Accordingly, a need exists for an improved sweatband that does not exertundue pressure on the wearer's head and therefore may be worncomfortably for extended time periods.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, one object of the present invention is toprovide headwear with a sweatband that does not exert undue pressure onthe head when worn.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cap havingexcellent sweat-absorbing capability.

A further object of the present invention is to produce a sweatband byweaving combustible synthetic yarn of 100% nylon with no polyurethane.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a sweatbandthat affords elasticity through the structure of the textile, the yarnfrom which the sweatband is made being subjected to a bulking andshrinking process which leaves the sweatband flat and suitable for usewith headwear.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide asweatband of sufficient elasticity to provide variable sizing to a capwithout the need for a separate size controller.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sweatband thatis unitary in construction without any additional stitch work forconnection to headwear.

In accordance with these and other objects, the present invention isdirected to a sweatband mainly used for headwear and woven by 100% nyloncombustible synthetic yarn to produce a unitary body without additionalstitch work. After weaving the nylon yarn, the sweatband is passedthrough a bulky process and then processed to be shrunk through a lowtemperature short-term combustion method, followed by drying through aheat treatment process to produce a file-shaped, planar length ofelastic material that does not twist in the middle when relaxed. Havingno polyurethane, the sweatband demonstrates elasticity as a whole due tothe structure of the textile. The circumferential stretch direction ofthe sweatband also provides excellent sweat absorption capability and awide range of automatic size adjustment may be obtained without imposingundue elastic pressure on the wearer.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view of a baseball-style cap with asweatband according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the stretchable sweatband according tothe present invention;

FIG. 3-1 is a side view of the sweatband showing the yarn shape beforethe stretchable sweatband is expanded; and

FIG. 3-2 is a side view of the sweatband showing the yarn shape afterthe stretchable sweatband is expanded.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In describing preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in thedrawings, it is to be understood that these embodiments are given by wayof illustration only. It is not intended that the invention be limitedin its scope to the details of construction and arrangement ofcomponents set forth in the following description or illustrated in thedrawings. Also, in describing the preferred embodiments, specificterminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. It is to beunderstood that each specific term includes all technical equivalentswhich operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

The present invention is directed to a sweatband suitable for use withheadwear of various types, but is described herein in connection with abaseball-style cap as shown in FIG. 1. It is understood that theinventive sweatband may also be used with other types of headwear oreven alone.

According to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the present inventionis directed to a baseball-style cap including a crown main body,generally designated by the reference numeral 1, a visor portion,generally designated by the reference numeral 2, and a sweatband,generally designated by the reference numeral 3. The crown part 1 isgenerally made of more than one piece of fabric, having several panels.The visor portion 2 is secured to the forward edge of the crown mainbody 1, and the sweatband 3 is secured to the lower peripheral edge ofthe interior of the crown 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the stretchable sweatband 3 is woven withcombustible synthetic yarn to preferably have a unitary construction ofa single ply 4. The sweatband has a file-shaped, planar constructionthat does not twist in the middle when the sweatband is relaxed, i.e.,when no elongating force is applied thereto.

According to the preferred embodiment, the yarn is 100% nylon and, whenwoven into the sweatband 3 as shown, virtually eliminates any feeling ofpressure on the wearer's head, even when worn for extended periods oftime. The sweatband 3 also demonstrates excellent sweat absorbingcapability. The sweatband may alternatively be constructed to be two-plyif desired. Whether or single ply or two-ply, the woven shape accordingto the present invention renders the sweatband stretchable as a resultof the structure of the textile. The sweatband does not include orrequire an additional stitching portion for connection of the sweatbandto headwear.

The present invention further includes a method of processing the nylonyarn used to produce the sweatband. After the weaving thereof, the nylonyarn is passed through a bulky process, shrunk through a lowtemperature, short-term combustion method and then processed accordingto a dry heat treatment process. FIG. 3-1 illustrates the shape of theyarn before the stretchable sweatband is expanded, i.e., subjected to anelongating force as occurs when the sweatband is placed on the wearer'shead, and FIG. 3-2 illustrates the shape of the yarn followingelongation or expansion; the direction of the expansion is indicated bythe arrows. When the sweatband is attached to headwear, such as a cap,and is placed on the wearer's head, the cap shows the effect of beingstretched by the file-shaped sweatband and the structure of the textilewith the nylon yarn. The resulting sweatband made with this method,providing stretchability through the structure of the textile, may beextended to up to 60% after 10 seconds under 1.8 kg of weight, andexhibits a 0.0% to 0.2% residual rate within 30 seconds after removal ofthe weight.

The foregoing descriptions and drawings should be considered asillustrative only of the principles of the invention. The invention maybe configured in a variety of shapes and sizes and is not limited by thedimensions of the preferred embodiment. Numerous applications of thepresent invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Forexample, the headband may be incorporated into hats, caps and visors ofother styles, or may be used alone. Therefore, it is not desired tolimit the invention to the specific examples disclosed or the exactconstruction and operation shown and described. Rather, all suitablemodifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within thescope of the invention.

1. A stretchable sweatband for headwear, said sweatband woven with 100%nylon combustible synthetic yarn that contains no polyurethane.
 2. Thesweatband as set forth in claim 1, wherein said sweatband is formed as asingle unit body without additional stitch work for connection toheadwear.
 3. The sweatband as set forth in claim 2, wherein saidsweatband has a file-shaped planar construction that does not twist in amiddle portion thereof.
 4. The sweatband as set forth in claim 1,wherein the sweatband is single ply.
 5. The sweatband as set forth inclaim 1, wherein the sweatband is two-ply.
 6. Headwear comprising: acrown main body; a visor portion secured to a peripheral edge of saidcrown main body and extending outwardly therefrom; and a sweatband wovenwith 100% nylon combustible synthetic yarn that contains nopolyurethane.
 7. The headwear as set forth in claim 6, wherein saidsweatband is formed as a single unit body without additional stitch workfor connection to said crown main body.
 8. The headwear as set forth inclaim 7, wherein said sweatband has a file-shaped planar constructionthat does not twist in a middle portion thereof.
 9. The headwear as setforth in claim 6, wherein the sweatband is single ply.
 10. The headwearas set forth in claim 6, wherein the sweatband is two-ply.
 11. A methodfor forming a sweatband: weaving 100% nylon combustible synthetic yarnthat contains no polyurethane into a unitary body; processing said yarnby shrinking through a low temperature, short-term combustion method;and subjecting said yarn to a dry heat treatment process to produce afile-shaped planar sweatband that does not twist in a middle portionthereof.